Hi all, anyone else having issues not losing the dreaded visceral fat? I have been going well, lost 2 stone since beginning of May, but so far only my boobs, face and legs seem to be smaller, a paltry 1/2 inch off my waist 🙁 Any suggestions on how to the target the “spare tyre”?

Apparently it’s the last bit to go, your visceral fat as I understand it is the fat in and around your organs. Don’t despair, if it’s going from somewhere then it will all eventually equalise out I’m sure, you are doing brilliantly keep up the good work.
Regards jan

Yes – your visceral fat does not show on the outside of the body (AFAIK – unless maybe when you have stones of it), the spare tyre is subcutaneous (under the skin) skin. Exercise can tighten the muscles in the area and reduce the appearance of the spare tyre by up to 2 inches (trust me I’m a doctor – http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3391275/Eating-breakfast-later-sitting-supper-early-key-slimmer-waistline.html ) but dieting is the way to go!

Good luck – you are doing very well as it is, 2 stone weight loss is brilliant.

Hi Jan & Ziggy,

Thanks for the replies, you’re absolutely right, visceral maybe wasn’t the right fat, although I’d love to think that was disappearing too. Exercise it is then, more aerobic I’m thinking, been walking plenty but nothing too strenuous, guess it’s time to up my game. On the plus side, I may still have the spare tyre from hell but my blood sugars are brilliant (down from 15 on diagnosis to 5-6), I can live with that :).

Rachel

Wow – that is some drop in your BG levels, well done on that, have you had an HbA1c since your levels dropped? Just wondered if you had, what your GP said.

Double wow GrumpyT2! After my first day on BSD I have dropped from 10.0 to 8.1, but waiting to see a consistent fall. Your report of going from 15 down to 5-6 is cheering me on so thanks for the inspiration. Could you please tell me how long that has taken?

Hi Ziggy, have to have another blood test at the end of August for HbA1c, my doctor was great and gave me 3 months to get things under control before having me take meds. Got another 7lbs to lose to hit her weight target, so all going in the right direction.
Kando – I was diagnosed in May after having a nasty appendix removed, so about 2 months, but did notice my BS go down consistently after 2 weeks – fingers crossed it stays that way 🙂 That’s a great drop after 1 day, won’t be long before they hit normal I’m sure, keep up the good work!

Hi GrumpyT2, I was always under the belief that visceral fat was the hardest to shift, but I’ve been re-educated in this. Apparently the visceral fat, whist the most dangerous, is also the most transient and is always the first to come and go if we over eat/diet.

As Ziggy pointed out, it’s the subcutaneous fat around the middle that is the dreaded spare tyre, and the hardest to shift. Walking is a great fat shifter, so I’d keep that up. Make sure you don’t get caught in the myth that cardio (running, cycling etc) is a good fat shifter. It’s not. That’s not to say it’s not good for you. It’s great for your heart and cardiovascular system.

The most effective exercise to torch fat is a combination of HIIT, weights and sub 60% max heart rate “cardio” (walking being a perfect example).

That said, as the saying goes, abs are built in the gym and uncovered in the kitchen. And a rule of thumb is fat is shifted 75% by diet and 25% by exercise. So regardless of how much exercise you do, diet is the main key to getting rid of it! Keep up the good work, sounds like you’re well on your way.

Thanks Timmy, makes perfect sense, might just walk a bit quicker for now and add the exercises the book advises at home. It’s a journey to get everything in place and a habit but I’m getting there!